WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday adopted its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices, but the code lacks a means of enforcement.
The policy, agreed to by all nine justices, does not appear to impose any significant new requirements and leaves compliance entirely to each justice.
Look, we don’t want to actually do anything about, we just want to make it look like we’re doing something about it.
Sure, let’s trust the blatantly corrupt judges to police themselves. They pinky swear they’ll hold each other accountable, and definitely won’t just completely ignore their own corruption time and time again.
They specifically created the “code” themselves because they knew it they didn’t, one would be imposed upon them eventually. Since they created their own “code”, they got to write the rules for it, including all the ‘loopholes’ they deliberately put in place, as well as the lack of enforcement provisions. This way they can continue just as they have been, but they can pretend they’re doing something about a situation they’ve been very happy with.
Exactly. It’s so blatantly obvious what they’ve done, yet they’re allowed to just keep going unimpeded.
It will be written in big, bold letters. On the beach. At low tide.
An empty list sadly does meet the definition of a “code of ethics”
Honest question. Everyone is upset because this code of conduct has no enforcement. I’m probably missing something, but is there any enforcement the supreme court can even do to themselves, without violating the constitution or something? They certainly can’t kick anyone off the court without an impeachment from congress. Are there other actions they can take?
If an entire branch of government has no interest in representing the people they’re charged with representing, and resist accountability - particularly after egregious corruption comes to light, they need to be removed.
Unless I’m mistaken, a removal attempt by the other branches of government will trigger a constitutional crisis, so populist solutions may be required.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is adopting its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices.
Many of those stories focused on Justice Clarence Thomas and his failure to disclose travel and other financial ties with wealthy conservative donors including Harlan Crow and the Koch brothers.
As recently as last week, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the justices could quiet some of the criticism and a Democratic push to impose an ethics code on the court by putting in place their own policy.
Durbin’s panel has been planning to subpoena Crow and conservative activist Leonard Leo about their roles in organizing and paying for justices’ luxury travel.
Crow has for more than two decades paid for nearly annual vacations, purchased from Thomas and others the Georgia home in which the justice’s mother still lives and helped pay for the private schooling for a relative.
The statement provided by Roberts said that the nine justices “reaffirm and restate foundational ethics principles and practices to which they subscribe in carrying out their responsibilities as Members of the Supreme Court of the United States.”
The original article contains 715 words, the summary contains 201 words. Saved 72%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
